Minnow box aerator pump



Feb. 26, 1957 'r. P. BUTLER 2,783,088

MINNOW BOX AERATOR PUMP Filed Nov. 9, 19s:

\ Thomas PBut/e;

v INVENTOR. BY v V w mw United States Patent MINNOW BOX AERATOR PUMP Thomas P. Butler, Antlers, Okla.

Application November 9, 1953, Serial No. 390,845

2 Claims. (Cl. 299-63) The present invention relates to minnow boxes and more specifically to an aerator pump mounted in a minnow box for aerating the water therein and maintaining the fish in a healthy, lively condition for considerable periods of time.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved aerator pump for aerating the water in the minnow bucket or box, which pump is exceedingly small and light of weight as well as being compact of construction, which pump will serve to continually circulate the water within the tank or minnow box at a uniform rate and which will effectively and evenly aerate all portions of the water within the tank.

These togetherwith other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a minnow tank or bucket in which the areator pump constituting the present invention is housed;

Figure 2 is an enlarged, side elevational view of the pump per se taken in cross-section for clarity of detail; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the pump per se with the head removed therefrom.

In general, the present invention constitutes an improvement over my previous Patent No. 2,639,906, issued M-ay 26, 1953.

In Figure 1 is shown a minnow bucket being of generally oblong shape having side walls 12 joined to one another by smoothly curved portions 14 constituting the end walls of the bucket. Although it is obvious that the minnow bucket could be of other shapes, the oblong shape, or elongated rectangular shape is preferred for the r proper operation or the most efiicient operation of the water aerating pump of the present invention. Secured to the upper edges of the side walls 12 and an end Wall 14 adjacent one end of the bucket 10 is a solid, hingedly connected top wall 16. As shown, a transverse rod 18 extends across the bucket 10 at the upper edges of the side walls 12, the rear portion of the solid top wall 16 being hingedly connected to this rod as at 20 so that the top Wall 16 in effect forms the solid lid portion for the bucket. The remainder of the top wall of the minnow bucket constitutes a perforated plate 22 which is likewise hinged as at 24 to the transverse rod 18 at its rear edge. The major surface of the plate 22 is below the edges of the side walls 12 and the other end wall of the minnow bucket and disposed slightly within the interior of the bucket. A channel-shaped peripheral flange 24 is provided around the two sides and the free end of the plate 22. As shown, the chanel flange 24 is downwardly opening and has the web 26 thereof disposed above the plane of the plate 22 and the legs 28 thereof frictionally received over the upper edges of the side walls 12 and the one end wall 14 of the minnow bucket 10. A U-shaped 2,783,088 Patented Feb. 26, 1957 handle 30 is pivotally secured to brackets 32 on the ends 14 of the bucket 10 and constitutes the means for transporting the bucket from place to place.

Journaled centrally and perpendicularly through the solid lid portion 16 and projecting downwardly into the interior 34 of the minnow bucket 10 is a pump drive shaft 36. To the upper end of the shaft exten'orly of the bucket and preferably on the outer surface of the lid 16 is mounted a suitable motor 38 for driving the pumpshaft 36.. In the embodiment shown, the motor 38 is disclosed as a small electric type which may run from a storage battery or from an automobile electrical circuit or other suitable source. However, a spring motor may likewise be used when desired should no electric current be available.

Secured to the lower end of the shaft 36 and projecting into the water 40 within the minnow bucket 10 is the aerator pump 42 of the present invention.

As shown in the drawings, this pump comprises generally a disk shaped head 44 having an upstanding, central tubular boss 46 within which the lower end of the shaft 36 is inserted and secured by means of setscrew 48 threaded through transverse bore 50 in the side wall of the boss. The peripheral edge of the head 44 of the pump is formed as a downturned, outwardly angled annular flange 52 for a purpose that will become apparent as the description proceeds.

Suspended from the undersurface of the disk or head 44 radially inward from the peripheral flange 52 is a centrifugal pump 54.

The pump 54 comprises a top, cylindrical, tubular barrel portion 56, the upper edge of which is secured directly to the undersurface of the deflecting cap or head 44 of the pump. Vertical notches or spray openings 58 are provided within the barrel section 56 of the centrifugal pump 54 for directing water from the pump against the deflecting cap and particularly a deflecting flange 52 to aerate the same as the pump is rotated. The lower edge of the cylindrical section 56 is sharply tapered inwardly as at 60 to provide an angulated internal shoulder at this point and thence proceeds downwardly in a smooth tapering frusto-c'onical barrel 62 which is tubular in form and open at its lower end 64 to provide free passage into the cylindrical top section 56.

The conical barrel 62 has at least a portion thereof disposed beneath the surface of the water 40 in the minnow bucket 10. a

In operation, as the shaft 36 is rotated and the conical barrel 62 disposed within the water, the liquid caught within the barrel 62 is given a centrifugal action, causing it to rise quickly on the inclined walls of the barrel to the cylindrical top section 56. As the water rises through the barrel to the outwardly offset annular shoulder at the juncture of the barrel 62 to the cylindrical portion 56 it is sprayed suddenly outward through the spray openings 56 continuing its upwardly spiraling centrifugal path to cause a fine, finely divided spray striking against the undersurface of the deflecting cap 44 and against the inner surface of the peripheral deflecting flange 52 wherein it is further finely divided to take up air and thence deflected back into the main body of water.

Also, during its operation, the barrel will, by its rotationalmovement, generate a continuous current in the main body of water 40 that will assure complete aeration of all parts of the body of the water as the pump is operated without necessitating the use of multiple spray heads over the entire surfacev of the water body.

Probably the most unique operation of the present pump comes from the utilization of the outwardly offset annular shoulder at the juncture of the cylindrical top portion of the pump to the conical barrel of the pump which causes the water to move out of its upwardly spiraling tangential path through the frusto-conical barrel to be discharged increasingly outwardly at 'this point so that the same willtravel easily and in comparatively large volume through the spray openings 58 into the deflecting pattern formed by the undersurface of" the deflecting cap 44 and the deflecting flange 52. This construction assures the continued aeration of comparatively large bodies of water in the minnow bucket even with the utilization of only a small pump in relation to the size of the bucket as shown in Figure 1.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the ap pended claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. An aerator pump for minnow buckets comprising an open ended centrifugal pumpbarrel having a cylindrical upper end portion and a truncated conical lower portion tapering downwardly from said upper end por- ,tion, said barrel being open at the lower end whereby rotation thereof in liquid will centrifugally draw said liquid toward said upper end portion of the barrel, said upper end portion having a plurality of circumferentially spaced liquid outlet ports therein for ejecting liquid from the barrel against a spray head which is attached to and overhangs said upper end portion, the upper end of said conical lower portion being of less diameter than said cylindrical upper end portion and being joined thereto by an outwardly diverging annular shoulder to propel the liquid traveling upward through the barrel suddenly outward through said outlet ports.

2. For use in a minnow bucket, an aerator pump construction comprising, in combination, a shaft, a motor operatively connected with the upper end of the shaft for imparting rotation to the shaft, a substantially flat circular plate, constituting a deflector head, secured centrally to the lower end of said shaft and having a downturned peripheral flange, an open-ended barrel circular in cross section from end to end and having an upper portion which is uniformly cylindrical and provided with circumferentially spaced notches, said upper end being centrally secured to and depending from the central portion of said plate, said barrel also having a relatively long truncated conical lower portion, the upper end of said lower portion merging into the lower end portion of the cylindrical upper end portion and providinga significant endless annular shoulder.

Maston May 18, 1954 

